Top 10 Indian athletes to watch out for in Asian Para Games 2023

Indian athletics contingent will have the largest representation across all sports.

India will field its largest-ever team for the upcoming Asian Para Games 2023, scheduled to be held from October 22-28 in Hangzhou, China. A total of 303 athletes, along with 143 officials, escorts, and support staffs will be part of the upcoming event. Notably, the Indian contingent aims to surpass its record-breaking performance of winning 72 medals in the 2018 edition, with hopes of securing more than 100 medals this time around.

In this article, we will delve into the Asian Para Games 2023 and shed light upon the top 10 Indian Para athletes who are poised to make a remarkable impact in the upcoming sporting event.

Suyash Narayan Jadhav - Para Swimming

Suyash Jadhav is an accomplished Indian Para swimmer who competes in the S7 Category. He holds the distinction of being the sole Para swimmer from India to have achieved the 'A' qualifying mark for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.

Notably, Suyash earned three medals in the recent edition of the Asian Para Games 2018. These accolades include a gold in the Men's 50m Butterfly S7 (6-7) event, as well as two bronze medals in the Men's 200m Individual Medley SM7 and Men's 50m Freestyle S7 events respectively.

Manish Narwal - Para Shooting

Manish Narwal, an Indian Para Pistol Shooter who holds the impressive position of fourth rank in Men's 10m Air Pistol SH1 according to the World Shooting Para Sport Rankings.

He has also been honored with the prestigious 2021 Khel Ratna Award. In addition to this, he triumphed as the Men's 50m Pistol SH1 gold medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. His achievements also include securing a gold medal in P1 - Men's 10M Air Pistol - SH1 at the Asian Para Games 2018. In the recently concluded World Championships, Manish clinched the gold medal and is all set to add another medal to his kitty.

Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar - Para Badminton

Parul Parmar is a highly esteemed para-badminton athlete who competes in the women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles categories. The former world number one in women’s singles has earned gold medals in the women's singles SL3 event at both the 2014 and 2018 Asian Para Games.

Additionally, she secured the silver medal in the 2014 Asian Para Games and the bronze medal in the 2010 Asian Para Games.

Pramod Bhagat - Para Badminton

The reigning gold medalist in Men's singles badminton SL3 at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020, Pramod Bhagat, emerges as an important contender to keep an eye on during the Asian Para Games 2023.

He has also achieved a gold medal in the men's singles category and a bronze medal, alongside Manoj Sarkar, in the men's doubles category at the 2018 Asian Para Games. With the upcoming event ahead, he will undoubtedly strive for further accomplishments for himself and his nation.

Ekta Bhyan - Para Athletics

Ekta Bhyan is a para athlete who has achieved great success in the field of women's club discus throw events. She had the honor of representing the country in the 2018 Asian Para Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was in this event that she showcased her exceptional skills and won a gold medal in the club throw event.

Due to her outstanding performance, she also qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, marking her second consecutive appearance in the World Para Athletics Championships. Additionally, Ekta Bhyan clinched the bronze medal in the women's club throw F51 event at the highly anticipated 2023 World Para Athletics Championships held in Paris, France.

Avani Lekhara – Para Shooting

Avani Lekhara, an Indian Paralympian and rifle shooter, achieved remarkable success at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. She secured a Gold Medal in the 10m air rifle standing event and a Bronze Medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.

These outstanding achievements made her the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold medal. On September 3, 2021, Avani further etched her name in Paralympic history by becoming the first Indian female Paralympian to win two medals as she claimed a bronze medal in the women's 50m air rifle standing event.

Sumit Antil - Para Athletics

Sumit Antil is a remarkable athlete who competes in the T64 category of Javelin throw. He achieved extraordinary success by winning gold medals in the men's javelin throw F64 category at both the 2020 Summer Paralympics and the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships.

It is worth noting that Sumit Antil currently holds the world record with a remarkable throw of 70.83m, accomplished during the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.

Krishna Nagar - Para Badminton

Krishna Nagar is an accomplished Para-badminton player who competes in the Men’s SH6 category. He not only secured a bronze medal in men’s singles at the esteemed 2018 Asian Para Games but also showcased his excellence by claiming the gold medal in the same category at the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo.

Noteworthy in his achievements, he currently holds the impressive rank of fourth in the men’s singles event. After taking a year long break, Krishna came back to the circuit this year and has found good success ahead of the Continental games.

Harvinder Singh - Para Archery

Harvinder Singh, an Indian paralympic archer, achieved a remarkable feat by securing the bronze medal in the men's singles recurve archery at the prestigious 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Notably, this victory marked India's inaugural Paralympic medal in the discipline of archery. Looking ahead to the upcoming event in Hangzhou, Harvinder Singh undoubtedly aspires to further enrich his personal collection of medals.

Sheetal Devi – Para Archery

The 16-year-old individual from Jammu and Kashmir, Sheetal Devi, has achieved the remarkable feat by becoming the world's first armless woman to secure a medal in the Para World Archery Championships.

During a youth event at Mughal Maidan in Kishtwar in 2019, Sheetal garnered the attention of the Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Indian Army. Recognizing her extraordinary talent and unwavering determination, the Indian Army extended its support by providing educational assistance and facilitating medical aid. From then Sheetal has just grown with time and cemented her name in the field of para archery.

She recently clinched the silver medal at World Para-Archery Championships and in the process became the first armless woman archer to achieve this feat.